I have a 454 magnum (rectangle port, forged pistons/rods, 4 bolt mains, 8.something:1 compression) in my donzi that was rebuilt 20 hours ago so it's fresh.
I'm toying with the idea of putting on a roots blower (6-71???) and a pair of carbs to up the 400hp I have to hopefully around 600hp.
How do these blowers work on a "normal" inboard/outboard boat? Are they hard to start? How will it do at part throttle? I spend most of my time at 3000-3500rpm. Lots of no wake zones too. Will my fuel economy go to crap at normal cruise, or will the blower "just be along for the ride" unless it's on boost?
I'd hate to drop $5k on a blower/carb setup and find out it's finicky and not worth using in a boat.
From what I've read, I want to upgrade to the ribbed blower drive in case it backfires. Anything else? Will my stock external merc fuel pump work?
What does the thermostat housing look like on a blower intake? I wonder if I can keep my closed loop cooling system intact- see the pic of my housing.
Looking for all the help/recommendations I can get.